Thunder radio play-by-play man Matt Pinto is maniacal in his preparation.

In front of him during a broadcast are four 11 x 14 sheets of paper with handwritten hieroglyphics only Pinto can decipher. He has notes and stats and biographical information on every player. Probably every second-row assistant and trainer, too.

Of course Pinto doesn’t know what will happen on any given night, that’s the beautiful unpredictability of basketball, but he knows precisely how to frame whatever unfolds.

In the 3,000 NBA games he’s broadcasted, Pinto is rarely caught off guard like he was Wednesday in the Thunder’s win against the Jazz at Paycom Center. At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder honored Pinto for reaching the career milestone.

Pinto knew something was coming, he just didn’t know when.

“I saw my face out of the corner of my eye on the big screen and just stood up when I was on the air to acknowledge that with the crowd,” Pinto told The Oklahoman.

That’s right. Even as he stood and waved and blew a kiss to the crowd, Pinto was still babbling into his headset. Still doing his job.

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Pinto, who grew up in Boston, got his NBA start in Charlotte calling Hornets games. He’s worked for the Mavericks, Clippers and SuperSonics, and he’s been the voice of the Thunder ever since the team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

“Cha-ching, that’s a Thunder moneyball!” is Pinto’s signature call for Thunder 3-pointers, a line he’s used plenty this season. The Thunder is shooting an NBA-best 39.2% from 3-point range.

After calling game No. 3,000 on Wednesday, Pinto gave The Oklahoman a behind-the-scenes look at how he prepares to call a game.

It starts with his notes. I posted a picture of them on X, and the replies didn’t disappoint.

“When the teacher says you can bring one note card to the test.”

“Pretty sure that’s the Declaration of Independence.”

“This the stuff Oppenheimer was writing on the chalkboard.”

“Future generations will uncover this manuscript and wonder what it all means.”

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There’s a method to Pinto’s madness.

You can see three columns on each sheet. On the far left are player IDs — names, numbers, height/weight, experience, college, etc. In the middle column are their current season stats. And on the right, biographical information and other notes and trends for that player.

“Those are all there to support me during the broadcast depending on what the storylines are that unfold,” Pinto said. “You never know what those storylines will be, so short-changing a guy that’s on a two-way is not wise because they at this point in the season could play a pretty prominent role for a team, especially like Utah.”

Pinto’s prep is the same for every game.

“I never tire of it,” he said. “I know looking at it from first glance can provide headaches and real confusion, because there’s not a lot of outside logic to it. It’s just a system I devised when I started as a broadcaster doing play-by-play and I stuck with it all the way.”

During games, Pinto has ad reads and four sheets of notes feathered in front of him. His pile of papers grows with each updated stat sheet he’s provided.

“It’s a little bit of a mess in the area that I’m working, but again, it’s organized chaos because I pretty much know where things are,” Pinto said.

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He has a large table and plenty of space at home games, calling the action from the top of the lower bowl. Away radio setups can be a little cramped.

Boston’s TD Garden is the hardest place to call a game, Pinto said.

“I’m in the corner of the building where you really can’t identify the player, so that’s probably the most challenging situation that exists in the NBA,” he said. “Madison Square Garden in New York is known for not providing stats in a timely way, so a lot of times I won’t see box scores until the end of the quarter given how high up I am.

“Chicago tends to be cramped. Toronto has a smallish table for the game (Friday), but I’m close to the floor which I appreciate. I like being close enough to have a feel for the communication going on between coaches and players, players and players, players and coaches and refs. It gives an additional element to the broadcast.”

Before the Thunder flew to Toronto on Thursday, Pinto had already finished most of his handwritten prep for the Raptors game. He could do the rest of the work on the team plane.

All play-by-play broadcasters have similar preparation methods. Few, though, are dedicated (unhinged?) enough to write everything by hand.

Most will type and print out their notes.

“I completely understand that and get that, it just for me, for memorization, is more effective for me to do it the way I do it,” Pinto said.

You might think Pinto has a special pen. Not so.

“I have a variety of pens that I borrow from hotels when I’m on the road,” he said. “The Ritz and the Four Seasons, they have high-level pens that find their way into my briefcase.”

Nice pens. A niche perk of NBA travel.

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Along with pens and paper, bottles of water are another of Pinto’s work necessities. During games he talks … a lot. Radio broadcasters don’t have the supplemental aid of a picture. Listeners rely on Pinto’s voice alone to follow Thunder games.

Pinto has to keep his whistle wet.

He drinks about five bottles of water per game. That’s 410 per season.

Pinto isn’t a coffee guy. When he needs a jolt of caffeine, classic Coke does the job.

Off the court, Pinto’s preferred beverage of choice is Mountain Dew Code Red.

“So my pulse is pretty low, and that doesn’t seem to wire me the way it does a lot of people,” Pinto said with a laugh. “Probably not the most healthy, but it’s a habit that’s been really difficult for me to break.”

Pinto is just as habitual in his work.

“I always want to be prepared to the point that I walk in calm and ready to do my job,” he said.

Just as he’s done 3,000 times.

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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder: How Matt Pinto prepares for NBA radio play-by-play job